Tale As Old As Time
by CloveLudwig99
Summary: A year and a half after The Beginning, two families are due to add a member soon. But not everything goes well for one family, when they receive some life changing news about their baby. What will happen? Will they keep the baby? Will the baby be alright? How will the cope? Especially while seeing their friends celebrate the birth of a healthy baby. BACK FROM HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**I'm sorry it's been so long since I uploaded, I'm really busy with college and when I'm off I'm just so exhausted all I want to do is watch t.v. shows all day.**

 **However, I will try my hardest to finish this series and the next generation one, well start it and finish it, same goes for Raising Jace, it most likely is a standalone story but I am going to finish it.**

 **So I've decided to not do an Epilogue for the Beginning and dive straight into this story, I hope you enjoy it! It's set a year and a half later! This story may consist of time skips and will be a little different to what I've written before.**

 **Also, just to let you know, though it was never mentioned, in this series, before Clary met Jace or the Lightwoods, Alec was engaged to Lydia, it was an arranged marriage, he broke up with her shortly after meeting Clary and she left for Idris. He never told anyone else about it and made Jace, Izzy, etc., promise not to tell either. He eventually told Magnus but not Clary or Simon. Tessa and Jem knew but they never told Clary or Simon or anyone like that either.**

 **Tale As Old As Time.**

 **Chapter 1.**

 ***Tessa's P.O.V.***

"Mama?" I hear a voice I'd recognize anywhere in the world, calling me. I lower my book to see Esther standing in front of me with a hairbrush in her hand. I smile at the sight of my beautiful little girl, her black curly hair sitting neatly for once, her grey eyes shining with hope, happiness and curiosity.

"You want me to brush your hair?" I ask.

Esther pauses for a moment, as she normally does before talking, and then says

"Yeah!"

I lift her onto my lap and start to gently brush her beautiful dark locks. She loves getting her hair brushed, it relaxes her greatly for some reason.

Esther looks at my phone, on the arm of the couch, and her eyes light up when she sees the picture of Jem, Emma, her and me, at her first birthday eight months ago. Esther is a total daddy's girl as we both predicted and she adores Emma too, she idolizes her in fact.

"Daddy!" Esther exclaims, pointing to the picture.

"That's right, that's you, me, daddy and Emma." I say, tying her hair off into two little pigtails which make her look even more adorable than she already is.

"Where daddy?" She asks. Jem is teaching at the shadowhunter academy for the next few weeks, he's working with the older children, the 16-18 age group. He's happy to portal to and from Idris every day, I did say Esther and I could go with him, we could stay in the Herondale Manor, Jace wouldn't mind at all. But Jem insisted we stay in New York, since Esther goes to nursery 2 days a week here and is starting to really enjoy it and make friends. He didn't want to exhaust her by taking her to and from Idris to here by portal and we didn't' want her missing any days at nursery either, so we decided to stay here.

"Daddy's at work baby, he'll be home soon though."

Just as the words leave my mouth, there's a rattle of keys in the door and a few moments later, Jem comes in, followed by Emma who is hand in hand with Mark.

"Daddy!" Esther exclaims, jumping up and bouncing up and down on the sofa.

Jem smiles widely and lifts Esther into his arms, kissing her cheek.

"Hello my little star! I missed you so much today!" He says. She wraps her arms around his neck and cuddles into him.

Jem and I share a smile before he leans in and greets me with a kiss.

Emma hangs her bag up by the door, smiles at me and says

"I'll be back in a few hours, Tessa , if you want me to watch Esther for a while."

"No it's alright Emma, thank you though." I say.

"Okay see you later." She says, kissing Esther on the cheek.

"How was Esther today?" Jem asks me, once Emma and Mark have left.

"She was fine, she woke up about 9, then she watched some Curious George on my phone for a bit, then after breakfast we want over to Magnus' for a bit, which Esther obviously adored." I tell Jem. Esther adores her Uncle Magnus, almost as much as she loves Jem, and he loves her right back, he's wonderful with her and I couldn't have asked for a better Godfather for her.

"Did you do anything else exciting?" Jem lightly asks.

Before I can answer, a wave of nausea hits me.

Jem instantly knows something isn't right.

"Tess what's wrong?" He asks. Before I can answer I feel the bile rising in my throat, I clamp my hand over my mouth and run for the bathroom. I barely make it on time, hunching over the toilet and emptying the contents of my stomach.

As I throw up, I realize, this is fourth time this week, I was sick this morning too, and I've been having all they symptoms I had when I got pregnant with Esther. Jem and I have only been trying for 2 months, it took over two years to conceive Esther, could it really have happened so fast this time?

"Are you alright love?" Jem asks, coming in and setting Esther down.

"Yeah I'm fine, but I do have to run to the pharmacy really quickly." I say, not wanting to tell Jem that I could be pregnant, I don't want to get his hopes up and it turns out to be a false alarm.

"Couldn't you just make an anti-nausea potion?" Jem asks, as Esther hugs me, clearly worried for my well-being. I'm glad he doesn't seem to suspect pregnancy, not yet anyway.

"I could but it's faster and easier to take some tablets, I'll only be a few minutes."

*20 minutes later*

I can't believe my eyes when I stare down at four positive pregnancy tests. I'm pregnant, there's no doubt about it. I'm two months pregnant, which means we conceived even faster than I thought. This is amazing! We're going to have another baby; Esther is going to be a big sister!

I go to the bathroom door, open it and see Jem and Emma tidying up after dinner, while Mark tosses Esther in the air and catches her again, causing her to laugh herself silly.

"James, can I talk to you for a moment?" I ask, hardly able to contain my excitement.

When he comes over to me, I take his hand and lead him to the sink where the pregnancy tests are. "Look." I say. He stares at the tests in disbelief, just like I did, before a huge smile spreads across his face.

"We're going to have another baby!" He exclaims, embracing me tightly.

"I love you." I tell him.

"I love you too, should we go tell Emma, Mark and Esther?" Jem says.

"I'd love to." I say, placing my hand in his and heading toward the kitchen to share the wonderful, wonderful news.

*ALI'S P.O.V.*

"Ali she is so tall, how old is she again?" Catarina asks, as she helps Maddey scramble onto the couch in Magnus' living room, beside Magnus himself.

Eric, Maddey and I have been here practically all day, Catarina called around a few hours ago to see Magnus and now Maddey is obsessed with her, she wants to be a nurse just like her and thinks she has the coolest hair ever.

"One and a half, she'll be two in June." I say, as Maddey cuddles into Magnus. She absolutely adores Magnus and Alec, they are two of her favorite people without a doubt and she loves spending time with them and Sophie, Will and Addie so much.

"And Addie's the same age, is that right?" Catarina asks, lifting Addie into her arms.

"Yes that's right, Addie's only a few weeks older than Maddey." Magnus says. Addie is a very mischievous, daring little girl, very like her brother Will. She's not afraid of anything and is always up to something, but she's not a bad little girl at all, she's very well behaved. Magnus and Alec have been happier than ever since they adopted her, she really completed their family.

Just then Eric sits beside me and quietly says

"Should we tell them?"

A few weeks ago, I went to get a new prescription for my birth control and get a blood test, since I was so tired all the time I thought I had an iron deficiency. Turns out I'm pregnant. But since I have a history of complicated pregnancies, we decided to keep this one quiet for a while. When we found out I was about 2 months pregnant, now I'm four and I think it's safe to start telling people. We haven't even told Maddey, in case something happens.

I was hoping to keep it totally under wraps until after my ultrasound tomorrow, but I'm sure if something were to go wrong we'd know by now.

"You know what I think we should." I say. "Maddey, come over here a second sweetheart." I say. She jumps off the couch and runs over to me.

I take a deep breath and push up my flowy top to reveal my baby bump. Since I've been pregnant three times now, I'm fairly big for four months, but it wasn't too hard to hide the bump, the shirt I'm wearing today just makes me look as though I gained a few pounds, not as though I'm pregnant.

I take Maddey's little hand and place it on my belly where I can feel the baby moving.

"Feel that?" I ask. Her eyes widen and she nods, totally mesmerized.

"That's your little sister!"

 **I really hope you liked it and didn't mind that I split it between Tessa and Ali, I wanted to reveal both pregnancies in this chapter but in different ways. I hope you liked the change and didn't mind that we didn't get to see Ali finding you she's pregnant.**

 **Please let me know what you thought!**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone, I'm sorry to say that I yet again have to address the lack of reviews. Look, I know that I'm not the best author and I know these are far from the best stories, I'm not asking for all the praise under the sun, I'm not asking for any praise, I'm looking for people to tell me if they like this story, if they enjoy reading it, if they find it worth their time, if so, why? If not, why? I will happily take feedback and constructive criticism, if you think something could've been done better, let me know! If you really liked something in the story, please let me know! I know there was quiet a gap between the Beginning and this story, but I'm very busy, my mother and I are in the process of trying to find a house to rent, when we do I have to move out of where I currently am, I have college and lots of college work and other worries and concerns. My life is quite hectic at the moment but I still love writing, especially this series, but what's the point in writing when nobody is giving feedback? I know people have read the first chapter of this, and I understand sometimes you get stuck on what to say, but if you could please just let me know if you liked it or not and your reasons, I just need a little bit of feedback, otherwise I don't know what you want to see or if there's point in writing more. Should I just quit writing now? Is nobody interested in my stories anymore? Please tell me the truth.**

 **I'm making a promise here and now to update this story before St. Patrick's today, provided there is some feedback.**

 **Thank you in advance.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone, I know its been a while since I've updated and I'm sorry, I was very busy finishing up the school year and my laptop wouldn't work, I should be getting a laptop soon but for now I'm going to try and update from my phone which I never thought of doing until now.**

 ***Disclaimer* I only own Ali, Jason, Sam, Xzavier and the kids, all other rights go to the amazing Cassandra Clare.**

 **Tale As Old As Time.**

 **Chapter 2.**

 ***Ali's P.O.V.***

Maddey's bright brown eyes light up in delight as she feels her sister kicking.

"I gonna be a big sista?" She asks in a soft voice.

"Yes baby, in a few months" Eric gently says, running his hand over Maddey's blond curls as she clings to my belly as if her life depends on it.

"Mama what my sista's name?" Maddey asks, looking up at me, her big eyes bright with excitement.

"Well don't tell her but we're naming your sister after your nana Kathleen, so her name is Kathleen Cleophas Churchill" I tell her, hoping she can keep this a secret so we can surprise Kathleen when baby is born. Kathleen has been nothing but wonderful over the past year, almost two years, she always takes Maddey when we have to work. I work full time as an adoption counsler for the Clave and Eric works at a recording studio as a music technician. When we have to go to work very early in the morning, Kathleen will come over to our place and watch Maddey there so she can sleep in a bit. She's taught us everything we know about caring for Maddey and overall has just been a saving grace.

We got the baby's middle name from my dad's mom, Sister Cleophas.

"I call her Kathy!" Maddey exclaims. Its a fitting nickname and now we wont get names mixed up.

"Good idea baby." I softly say, before kissing the top of her head.

"Daddy, papa, I wanna be a big sista." Addie quietly says.

Magnus lifts her into his arms and kisses her cheek before saying

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen, biscuit."

"Why not?!" Addie asks in an upset tone. She's so dramatic sometimes, just like Magnus.

"Well because You, Will and Sophie are all the babies we want, but aunty Ali and her baby will be around so much it will be like being a big sister for you." Alec gently tells her. He's right, of course, I love Addie as much as I do Sophie and Will, though I'm not her birth mother I may as well be.

"Oh, okay!" Addie happily exclaims.

Soon Maddey finally lets go of my stomach and she and Addie run off to play with Sophie and Will.

"So how far along are you Ali?' Lydia asks.

"Four months, we wanted to keep it quiet for a while in case anything happened." I say, rubbing my bump.

"I'm so proud of you and how far you've come since I met you 6 years ago, and I can't wait to meet your little one." Magnus says, reaching over and gently squeezing my hand.

"Thank you Magnus, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without all the help you and Alec have given me over the years" I tell him.

"I'm so happy for you both, you're both such amazing parents to Maddey, and she's going to be an amazing big sister" Alec says.

"Thank you, yes she is, I wont be surprised if she tries to get into the delivery room" I say.

A while later Eric and I deicide it's time to go home and start getting Maddey settled for the night and pack her a small bag for when she stays with Kathleen for a few hours tomorrow while Eric and I go for a scan.

For some reason I'm unusually nervous about the scan tomorrow, I hope everything turns out okay and this feeling of fear will turn out to be nothing.

 ***Tessa's P.O.V.***

Jem and I walk over to the sofa where Esther is now perched on Mark's lap, looking up at him in amazement as he tells her all about Faerie and how he and Helen are half fae.

"Esther, your daddy and I have to tell you something." I gently say, going down to her level.

"What is it mama?" she asks in a curious tone.

Placing my hand on my stomach I gently tell her

"I've got a baby in my tummy, you're going to be a big sister"

Esther looks at me thoughtfully for a moment before she says

"Even if it a boy, I wont put baby in the bin!" I laugh as Jem plucks her off Mark's lap, kisses her forehead and gently says

"That's very generous of you."

"Uh hu! I be good big sister, daddy." She softly says, laying her head on Jem's shoulder.

Jem lightly kisses the top of her head and says

"I know you will my star, I know you will."

Emma quickly walks over from the kitchen sink and embraces me.

"I hope this one is as good as Esther!" Emma says.

"You and me both" I say, laughing lightly.

"Plenty of practice for us my love." Mark softly says, smiling up at her radiantly. He loves her so much and she him, I've never seen Emma so happy.

Emma smiles back at Mark and says

"Don't get any ideas just yet, I'm not ready to be a mom yet."

"I'll wait forever if it makes you happy" He softly says.

"Anytime you have to go to Catarina or the silent brothers, we're happy to look after Esther." Emma says.

"Thank you Emma, I appreciate that." I tell her.

Later that evening when Esther is asleep, Jem and I make arrangements to go to the silent city tomorrow and make sure everything is healthy with the baby.

"Tess, I know its early to be talking about names but I have some in mind" Jem tells me as we sort through any of Esther's old baby clothes and blankets we can use again when the baby is born.

"Oh really? What are they?" I ask, adding another baby grow to the pile that was actually Lucie's, I kept both her and James' first outfits tucked away safely for all these years, as a keepsake more than anything, I never thought I'd have more children until Jem started talking about having a baby, when Lucy was born.

"Well for a girl, Ivy, Grace or Elizabeth, Eliza for short. For a boy... Henry Nathaniel"

 ***The Next Day***

 ***The hospital***

 ***Ali's P.O.V.***

"So is everything alright?" I ask the Doctor (Dr. Malloy, whom Catarina recommended) as Eric and I sit down in his office, after the scan.

"I'm afraid not" Dr. Malloy gently says, placing my file on the table. Oh God no, what's wrong with my baby?

"W-what's wrong?"

"Ali, Eric, I'm very sorry to have to tell you this but from your scans and the thickness of the baby's nuchal translucency, it is apparent that your baby has Down's Syndrome."

 **I hope you enjoyed! Please review and I will try to keep updating as much as I can, its great to be back!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Hello everyone, thank you to Guest for reviewing!

Something you need to know

Chapter 3

*Disclaimer*

I only own Ali, Jason and Leah, Zavier and Sam and the kids, all other rights go to the amazing Cassandra Clare.

*Ali's P.O.V.*

"Apart from that is she okay?" I ask the doctor. The fact Kathy has Down's Syndrome doesn't make an ounce of difference to me, I know Eric and I are more than capable of raising a baby with special needs and I know we can afford all her medical needs.

"Yes but you need to be aware that these scan results aren't a hundred percent accurate, we usually combine them with testing we do on a sample of the amniotic fluids, however it is your choice to have the amniotic fluids tested, it does increase your chances of miscarriage." The doctor calmly says.

Eric and I share look and just by looking at his expression I can tell he doesn't want to test the amniotic fluids, and neither do I, when it increases my chances of miscarriage and I already have a history of complicated pregnancies, it's not worth it. Eric and I have always been prepared to raise a baby with special needs, we always knew it was a possibility that our baby would have special needs, both with Maddey and Kathy so we prepared ourselves for it and now we're ready.

I grab Eric's hand and turn back to the doctor and say

"We don't want to test the amniotic fluids, we're completely ready for this baby, down syndrome or not."

*20 minutes later*

"Mama! Daddy!" I hear Maddey squeal the second I step inside Kathleen's house. Before I can say anything, Maddey barrels into me, wrapping her arms around my waist and almost knocking me back into Eric.

"Oh! Careful Maddey, you'll hurt the baby." I gently say, running my hand over her blonde curls.

"Oh, sorry baby." Maddey softly says, laying her head on my bump.

"Hey mom!" Eric says, walking toward the living room.

"Hello you two, how did the scan go?" Kathleen asks, walking out from the kitchen.

While we were walking here from the hospital, Eric and I agreed that we're going to tell Maddey about Kathy's down syndrome today when we get home and then tell everyone at once tomorrow.

"Pretty well." Eric says. "Hey mom can you come around to ours tomorrow afternoon?" he adds.

"Of course, do you need me to watch Maddey again?" She asks.

"No, we just need to talk."

*Half an hour later*

"Maddey, there's something we need to tell you, something about your sister." I gently tell her, sitting beside her on the sofa where she's watching cartoons on the T.V.

"What is it mama? She okay?" She asks in a concerned tone.

"Yeah baby she's fine, it's just… well your sister is different, she's got something called Down Syndrome, it means she's going to look different and grow and learn differently." I gently explain. As an adoption consular I've helped families who have adopted children with down syndrome, explain it to their other children, in the past.

"Don't care that she different, still love her." Maddey softly says, wrapping her small arms around my waist and laying her head full of blonde curls on my bump. She's such an amazing little girl, Eric and I are so, so lucky to have her.

"You're such a great big sister already baby, daddy and I are so proud of you." I gently tell her, rubbing her back.

Eric lifts Maddey and sits beside me and puts his arms around me as Maddey tries to hug both of us at the same time. I can't believe how lucky I am to have this wonderful family, 6 years ago I was totally alone, now I have a wonderful boyfriend, a beautiful daughter and a perfect little baby on the way.

*Tessa's P.O.V.*

"I… Henry I understand… but Nathaniel? Why would I want to name my son after the man who betrayed to us Mortmain?" I ask Jem in a tight tone of voice, unable to understand why he wants to use Nathaniel as a middle name for our son.

"Well I was thinking of it as naming him after the man Nathaniel could have been and once was." Jem gently Says, placing his warm hand over mine. Well… when he puts it that way I like the idea of giving our son the middle name Nathaniel.

"Well when you put it that way…. I quiet like the idea." I quietly say.

"So it's settled? Henry Nathaniel for a boy?" Jem asks.

"Sounds good to me." I softly say, rubbing my belly.

"Okay and what about for a girl?" Jem asks.

"I liked Elizabeth, after my mother." I reply.

"I like Elizabeth too, what about Cecilia as a middle name?" Jem asks.

"It's perfect, I just can't wait to meet this little one." I softly say, looking at my stomach.

"Neither can I, mostly I can't wait to see Esther with the baby." Jem says, his mouth twitching up into a smile. I can't wait for that either, Esther loves babies and has many times asked for a baby sister, according to her it's okay if she gets a brother but she really, really wants a sister. Either way this is our last baby. When we started trying for a baby, Jem and I agreed that after this baby is born I'll go back on the potion that stops my period and prevents me from getting pregnant, which I used before I had Esther.

"Me neither, I just can't wait for our family to be complete."

*The Next Day*

*Eric's P.O.V.*

"Is everything alright? Why did you want us to come over?" John asks Ali, as I walk back into the living room after checking on Maddey in her room. Ali and I asked her parents, my mom, Clary, John, Alec and Magnus over so we can tell Jocelyn, Luke, Clary and John that Ali is pregnant and that Kathy has Down's Syndrome. We only asked family over and will tell everyone else like Tessa and Jem, when we see them.

Ali looks at our family and softly says

"There's going to be a new addition to the family soon."

"You're pregnant?" Clary asks in a hopeful tone.

Ali nods and says

"Maddey's getting a little sister."

Over the next few minutes everyone hugs Ali and I and congratulates us.

"There's something else you need to know about the baby." Ali quietly says as John pulls back from hugging her.

"What is it?" John asks in a concerned tone.

"There's no easy way to say this… when we went for a scan today we found out that… the baby has down syndrome." Ali quietly says.

"We're completely compared for this baby, we know we can afford her medical bills and we know we can raise a baby with special needs." I add, putting my arm around Ali's waist and resting my hand on her bump.

"We're here to support you, I have no doubt you'll do a wonderful job of raising a baby with special needs and just like when you had Maddey, we're here to help you." Clary softly says, reaching out and squeezing Ali's hand gently.

"I can get Catarina to refer you to the best paediatrician in the state." Magnus says.

"I know babies with down syndrome can be quiet small, Maia and I can give you Piper and Chris' old baby clothes, they were really small too." John gently offers.

"I can make sure she can still go to the Academy when she's older, if that's what she wants." Alec tells us.

"I can help you explain the baby's down syndrome, to Maddey." Mom softly says.

"And your dad and I are more than happy to look after Maddey anytime you need us to." Jocelyn gently says.

We are so lucky to have such an amazing, supportive family.

Ali wipes at her tears of joy and says in a breathy tone

"T-thank you, I couldn't do this without any of you."

*2 hours later*

*Ali's P.O.V.*

"Have you told your boss you're pregnant, yet?" Eric asks me, taking a sip of water. My mom and dad insisted on taking Maddey for a few hours this afternoon, so Eric and I decided to go on a date to our favourite restaurant.

"Yeah I told her pretty much as soon as I found out, she said I could take maternity leave when I'm six months." I say, rubbing my bump.

"Oh good! Hey, can I show you something?" he asks.

"Yeah of course." I say, brushing my hair back from my face.

Eric pulls a black velvet box from the pocket of his leather jacket, opens it and presents it to me. A small gasp escapes my lips when I see an elegant ring with a silver band and a sparkling diamond on top.

With his free hand, Eric reaches across the table and firmly grasps my hand.

"Ali, will you marry me?"

I hope you like it.

Plesase review, plenty of times while writing this chapter I stopped and thought why bother? No one seems to read or like my work anymore, I'm really considering quitting writing, it's not worth it if no one reads and leaves feedback.

If anyone actually read this, thank you and please leave a review.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone, I'm sorry I haven't uploaded in a long time, this last while I've had no inspiration to write and I can't anything from my head onto paper. Whenever I do manage to post nobody reviews or even reads the chapter. I'm also very, very busy. I want to finish these stories but I'm not sure I can. I'm afraid these stories will have to go on hiatus for a while, I don't know when I'll be able to upload again, I just can't write right now, not even for my own pleasure and entertainment.**

 **This story and all my others that are incomplete are on hiatus, however there a few I'm not going to finish and may delete. They are: Shadowhunter Warlock baby and The Journey to Safe Heaven.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone, I know I've been gone a very long time, and I'm sorry I had to put this story on hiatus but I was just in a terrible place. I was recently diagnosed with depression and anxiety and was put on medication for it. I also moved out and have recently finished college, so life has been hectic and I'm afraid this just didn't take priority through all that. But I'm hoping to start uploading to this story more frequently now.**

 **Also, I wanted to let you know that I intend doing frequent time jumps in this story.**

 ***DISCLAIMER* I only own Ali, Jason, Sam, Zavier and the kids, all other rights go to Cassandra Clare.**

 ***CW*:**

 **Mention and talk of pregnancy loss.**

 **Mention and talk of domestic abuse.**

 **Chapter 4.**

 ***Ali's P.O.V.***

I've thought about getting engaged to Eric for a long time, ever since I got pregnant with Maddey, really. When I thought about it, I always thought I would be hesitant and fearful, since my previous engagement was to an abusive control freak who beat me on a regular basis and could have killed Sophie. But much to my surprise I find I am not one bit hesitant, I trust Eric and I know he loves me and our daughters, really loves us, I know he would never lay a hand on me or our girls, he is extremely supportive of my involvement with Will and Sophie (and Addie) unlike Jordan was, I know I can trust him and I know I want to marry him, there's not a shadow of a doubt in my mind.

"I thought you'd never ask." I softly say. Eric breaks out into a wide grin and a short laugh of delight escapes his throat, his brown eyes filled with hope and joy, just looking at him I know this is the man I have always been destined to love and marry and spend my life with, he's my other half, I feel complete with him.

"So it's a yes?" Eric excitedly asks. Grinning widely I nod and say

"Yes, of course it's a yes." Eric slides the ring onto my finger and it fits perfectly and feels as if it were always meant to be there, it's beautiful, much smaller than the engagement ring Jordan got me, but of course I don't care, that's in the trash now, I don't care about the size or look of the ring, I care about the person who has given it to me, and this time I know it's the right person.

"I love you Ali." Eric softly says, cupping my cheek in his hand.

"I love you too." I reply, gently grabbing his wrist and relaxing at his touch.

"When do you want to get married?" Eric asks in a curious tone. I want to be married to this man as soon as possible, I want to be his wife, and I want us to be married before Kathy is born, so nobody can say the awful things they say about Maddey and the fact she was born out of wedlock, about Kathy. She will have a hard enough time having Down's Syndrome, no doubt The Clave will want me to terminate or place her for adoption with a mundane family, since she will never be a warrior, like her sister might, but this sweet baby girl is mine and I love her and she is more than just another warrior, she is my daughter and I will protect her with my life.

"As soon as possible, I just want a small ceremony with close friends and family." I reply.

"Me too, and I have some good news." Eric says in a joyful tone.

"What is it?" I ask, full of curiosity.

"Remember I applied to Ascend, back when Maddey was a baby? And how I've been training at The Institute and Simon and Clary have been helping me with the academic side of things?" He asks. When Eric and I got back together when I was pregnant with Maddey, we both knew we would spend our lives together and that one day we would want to be married, so Eric applied to Ascend, just a few days after Maddey was born, but he has never gotten a reply, or not that I know of anyway.

"Yes, did you get a reply?" I asks hopefully.

"Yes, they approved my application, I am to Ascend in two months." Eric replies. Oh this is wonderful! We can still be married before Kathy is born, and perhaps now other Shadowhunters will stop judging me for being with a Mundane and having a child with him.

"That's wonderful! But Eric, I want you to know that I would rather leave The Clave than not be with you, I would give up everything for you and our girls, it would kill me to never see Will and Sophie again, but I know they are safe and loved and cherished with Magnus and Alec and would be just fine without me, whereas Maddey needs us both, and Kathy, I would do anything for you three." I firmly say. I had always hoped it would never come to that, and thankfully it does not seem that it will, but if it did, I would give up everything in a heartbeat, no matter how painful, what matters to me most are my kids and my husband, and as I said, I know Will and Sophie are safe and loved with Magnus and Alec, without me, Kathy and Maddey would always be missing something, they need me as much as I need them.

"I wouldn't want you to do that, you did the most selfless thing for Will by placing him with Magnus and Alec, and two years later you were extremely selfless again by being their surrogate at only 19, I cannot and do not expect you to leave them for me." Eric softly says.

"Well, it doesn't matter now does it? It won't ever have to happen, I can have you and them and that's all I want." I say in a light heated tone.

"No, you're right it doesn't, it's getting late, shall we go pick Maddey up and tell mom the good news?" Eric asks. My heart swells at the thought of seeing my sweet baby girl, even after being apart from her for only a few hours, I miss her terribly, after giving up two babies before her I have a lot of anxiety about being away from Maddey, especially for long periods of time, it is something I really need to work on, especially before Kathy is born.

"Yes, lets, then perhaps we could take her to Magnus and Alec's tomorrow and tell them the good news?" I ask in a tried voice, beginning to feel the familiar fatigue of pregnancy kick in.

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

 ***TESSA'S P.O.V.***

 ***The next day***

"Mama where go?" Esther asks in a confused tone as I pull on my coat while Jem finishes buttoning his, beside me. We're going to The Silent City today, to find out if all is okay with the baby, and to find out the sex. I'm quiet nervous about it, I haven't been to The Silent City since I was pregnant with Lucie, I did not feel comfortable with it when I was pregnant with Esther, Catarina helped me wonderfully throughout my pregnancy with Esther, but I know Jem would be more at ease if we got confirmation from The Silent Brothers that our baby and I are healthy, and I'm not so uncomfortable about going to The Silent City anymore. In fact, I can't wait to know everything about my baby and find out if we're having a boy or a girl. With Esther I knew from the start she was a girl, form the moment I found out I was pregnant, I had a gut instinct that she was a girl, it was the same with Jamie and Lucie, I was right about the sex of the baby all 3 times I was pregnant, and this time will likely be no different, we are definitely having another girl, sweet Elizabeth, I'm thinking of shortening her name to Eliza, it's a name both Jem and I adore and I think it will suit her, Esther and Eliza Carstairs, it sounds perfect. While Jem and I are in The Silent City, Emma and Mark are watching Esther, I'm extremely grateful that they offered, Esther is very clingy but I know she'll be happy as can be with Emma and Mark, two of her favorite people.

"We're going to make sure the baby is alright, sweetheart, and to find out if it's a girl or a boy." I gently say.

"Girl! Want sister!" Esther exclaims.

"Well we'll soon find out, when mama and I come back, we'll know if you're getting a sister or a brother." Jem says in a joyful tone, clearly as excited about this as I am.

"Really want sister." Esther says in a dreamy voice.

"I know baby girl, but you'll love your sibling even if you get a brother, right?" Jem gently asks.

"Uh hu, I tect baby, love them." Esther says in a proud tone. She is going to be such a wonderful big sister, I am so proud of her, I simply cannot wait to see her and Eliza together in just a few months time.

"We'd best go, Tess." Jem quietly says. Really there's no need to hurry, but if we stay too much longer, Esther will be very upset when we leave, which is not something we want, hopefully she'll stay completely calm.

"You're right, bye baby girl, I'll see you soon." I softly say, leaning down to embrace my daughter and kiss her chubby little cheek, causing her to shriek in delight, she's a very affectionate little girl and loves getting hugs and kisses.

"You be good for Emma and Mark okay?" Jem gently says, scooping Esther into a hug.

"Promise daddy!" Esther exclaims.

"That's my girl." Jem says, setting her down.

"Esther, why don't you come over here and I'll tell you another story about Faerie?" Mark says, from his position on the sofa across the room.

"Okay!" Esther says and runs to him, scrambling onto his lap and looking at him intently, waiting for the story to start.

* * *

When Jem and I reach The Silent City, we are greeted at the entrance by Brother Malachi. This place stills gives me the chills, but being here means a lot to Jem and means we'll know for an absolute fact that Eliza is okay, since she's not exactly a normal Shadowhunter, when I was pregnant with James, Lucie and Esther, I was told there could be complications due to the fact I am half Nephilm, half demon and Jem is a full blooded Shadowhunter, I'm sure those chances could occur in this pregnancy too.

 _James Carstairs and Theresa Carstairs, what brings you to The Silent City?_ Brother Malachi's voice echos in our minds.

"I'm two months pregnant, I would like to have a check up here, to know that our child is alright, I have had three children previously, but one can never be too sure." I softly say, my hand fluttering to my stomach, a sudden fear of miscarrying coming to the front of my mind. What if everything with Eliza is not alright? What if this is not a viable pregnancy? What if the test was faulty? What is she never even existed at all?

 _Very well, follow me if you will._ Brother Malachi's voice echoing in my head pulls me from my thoughts.

"Would it be possible for us to see Brother Enoch? When Tessa was pregnant the first two times when I was a part of The Brotherhood it was I who helped her throughout her pregnancies and oversaw the birth of her children, it was easier for her to be here as I was familiar to her, it would mean a great deal to both of us if we could deal with Brother Enoch, whom we are both familiar with." Jem explains as Brother Malachi leads us through The Silent City, until we reach a familiar room, with great big double wooden doors. Inside the room is a stone slab along with trays of herbs, potions, steles and many other things. I haven't been here since I was pregnant with Lucie and it has not changed one bit.

 _Yes, that can be arranged, wait here._ Brother Malachi tells us, and turns without a sound, and leaves.

I take a seat on the stone slab, Jem right beside me our hands interlinked. We only wait about 10 minutes, before a hooded figure in parchment colored robs steps into the room soundlessly.

 _Good afternoon James, Theresa, I have been told congratulations are in order, you are expecting._ Brother Enoch says, approaching the stone slab.

"Yes, thank you, we are." Jem proudly says.

 _The Angel has blessed us all with another Shadowhunter, praise be._ Brother Enoch says.

"Yes indeed." I quietly say, looking down at my stomach, praying to The Angel that Eliza is alright, I could not bear it if anything happened to her.

 _Shall we get on with the examination?_ Brother Enoch asks. I nod, and lie back on the stone slab, wincing as I come into contact with the cold stone. I pull up my shirt leaving my swollen stomach exposed. Though I may only be 2 months, I am showing considerably for this early in the pregnancy, it never occurred to me until now, but perhaps we have been blessed with two babies.

Over the next half hour or so, Brother Enoch carries out a complete examination on me, testing my blood, feeling my stomach, asking about my symptoms and much more.

Finally, after almost 40 minutes, Brother Enoch steps back and draws back his hood, as Jem helps me into a sitting position once again.

 _You and your child are in perfect health, Theresa, the child is growing very well and developing perfectly, you are two months along, almost three, you are due on the 14th of July._ Brother Enoch informs us. Thank God Eliza is alright, I can relax now.

"Oh thank God." Jem quietly says, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. He was clearly very worried too, but thankfully we had no need to be.

 _Would you like to know the sex?_ Brother Enoch asks.

"Yes, we would love to!" Jem exclaims, barely able to contain his excitement.

 _It's a boy._

Henry Nathaniel Carstairs.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7.**

 ***DISCLAIMER***

 **I don't own this series or any of the characters from the shadowhunter chronicles, all rights go to Cassandra Clare.**

"A-a boy, are you sure?" I stammer in a shocked tone. I never even considered that this baby could be a boy, I was so sure we were having a girl

 _Quiet sure_. Brother Enoch says.

"Oh my god." I quietly say, still so shocked. Of course I'm not disappointed that we're having a boy, I am so excited to have a son, my sweet little Henry, I was just so sure we were going to have another girl.

"Tess, are you alright, are you upset that we're having a boy?" Jem carefully asks, after we have left the Silent City and stepped out into the cold, sharp winter air. I look at him in surprise, shocked that he would think I would be upset over the sex of our child, I've never cared whether I've had a girl or a boy, as long as they were healthy and happy, and thank god all three times so far my children have been very healthy, and by the looks of things, Henry is very healthy too.

"Oh Jem no, not at all, why would you think that?" I ask in a reproachful tone.

"Well you just seemed so shocked when Brother Enoch told us we're having a boy, I thought you might be upset, I know you would've loved to have two girls." Jem quietly says. He's right, I would have loved to have two girls at once, I would love to raise another daughter, raising Esther and of course Lucie was and is such a joy, having another daughter would be amazing, but having a son is equally as amazing and I couldn't love this baby more if I tried. Maybe in the future we'll adopt a little girl, since Henry will be our last baby for a while, and I don't really want to be pregnant again after this, my pregnancy with Esther was so rough and I don't doubt this one will be difficult too, I love certain parts of pregnancy, like feeling my baby kick inside me, but other parts, such as the insomnia and aches and pains, I don't love so much, so if we ever have another child we'll adopt.

"Oh Jem no, no I'm not disappointed at all, yes I was and am shocked but that's because I was so convinced we were having a girl, for the last few days I've been thinking of this baby as Elizabeth, so it just came as a huge shock to me to find out we're having a boy, but I couldn't be happier, I would've loved another daughter but I am equally as delighted to be having a son, especially if he looks like you." I fondly say, my hand fluttering down to my stomach.

Jem visibly relaxes, smiles and says

"Oh thank god, I would've loved another little girl too but I am so happy and excited to be having a son, and I hope he looks like you my love, Esther already looks like me, well she looks more like my mother, she's a Carstairs alright, but I want our son to look like his beautiful mother." I wish I could have known Jem's mother, I wish he could've known my mother, I wish Esther and Henry could know their grandparents

"James, if we ever have another girl, would you like to name her after your mother?" I gently ask, not sure how he'll react to this question. When I was pregnant with Lucie, Will instantly wanted her middle name to be Ella after his sister, it made him feel like he was doing something good for her and honoring her and I was happy he was happy

"I'd like it to be her middle name, we seem to have made a tradition of giving our children the names of loved ones as middle names, Esther Jessamine and Henry Nathaniel." Jem softly says. I think it would be nice to keep up that tradition too.

"Sounds good to me, but for now lets go home to the little girl we already have and tell her she's getting a baby brother."

"Mama! Daddy!" I barely have my foot inside the door when I hear Esther screeching and running toward the front door, launching herself at me and wrapping her arms tightly around my waist.

"Hello baby girl." I softly say, bending to embrace her.

"Mama miss you." Esther quietly says, snuggling into me. I hope she isn't always this clingy, we were only gone an hour at most but Esther is acting like she hasn't seen us in years.

"Missed you too baby." I say, kissing her chubby cheek

"Got one of those hugs for me?" Jem says in a humorous tone

"DADDY!" Esther screams, instantly letting go of me and running to Jem, who easily catches her and swings her up into his arms.

"Hello my beautiful star." He says in an affectionate tone, placing a kiss on Esther's forehead

"Daddy miss you lots and lots!" Esther exclaims, cuddling into him.

"I missed you too my sweet Esther." Jem lovingly says.

"Was she good for you?" I ask, turning to Mark and Emma, who are sitting on the sofa.

"Good as gold!" Emma says.

"How did everything go at The Silent City, is everything alright?" Mark asks.

"Oh everything went wonderfully, the baby is perfectly healthy and will be here in the middle of July." I gleefully say

"I gettin brother or sister?" Esther curiously asks, wrapping her arms around Jem's neck.

"You're going to have a baby brother my love." Jem says in a joyful tone. Esther's eyes widen in amazement and in a disbelieving tone, she asks

"Really?" She must have convinced herself the baby was a girl, too.

"Yes baby girl, really." I softly say, brushing her hair out of her face.

"What him name?" Esther asks in a curious tone.

"Henry, Henry Nathaniel Carstairs." I say in a proud voice.

"Like my Uncle Henry? Him invented the portal!" Esther exclaims. I'm surprised she remembers who Henry is, we haven't told her as much about him as we have William and her brother and sister, but she clearly remembers him and I'm glad she does, if Henry were still around he would adore Esther, he was so wonderful with Jamie and Lucie and his own children, and Esther would have adored him and helping him with his inventions. Just thinking about it makes tears well up in my eyes, but I have to hold them back, if I cry in front of Esther she'll get upset and start crying too.

"Yes my little Star, just like your Uncle Henry, you remember who he is?" Jem softly asks, holding Esther close to him. She nods and says

"Uncle Magnus tell me bout him and I saw pictures of him with my big brother and sister." She loves seeing pictures of Jamie and Lucie, she wished she could meet them so badly, and so do I.

"Are you happy to be getting a baby brother, Es?" Emma softly asks. Esther nods enthusiastically and says

"Yeah! I love him lots and lots! I keep him safe!" I just can't wait to see her and Henry, I hope these next few months go by quickly.

 ***2 hours later***

 ***EMMA'S P.O.V.***

It's been a few hours now since Jem and Tessa got back from The Silent City, currently they're out on a walk with Esther, and Mark has gone back to LA. Things between Mark and I aren't great, we don't fight or anything but things just don't feel right, I can't deny my love for Jules and I see Mark looking at Cristina and Kieran how I look at Jules, normally I'd be jealous if my boyfriend were looking at other people that way, but I'm not, because I don't love Mark like a boyfriend, I love him more like a brother. I know I need to break up with him but I don't want to hurt him

Shortly after Mark left, Cristina arrived and I was so glad to see her, I've missed her so much, I think I might move back to LA soon, I miss the kids so much, I adore Esther of course and I'm so excited to meet little Henry, but they don't need me like the twins, Dru and Tavvy do, Julian and I are their only parents now Helen has been exiled to Wrangle Island.

"You'll have to come visit us soon in LA Emma, we all miss you so much." Cristina softly tells me, setting her coffee cup down.

""I miss you all too, I'm thinking about moving back soon, I've been so happy here and Tessa and Jem have been amazing to me, but I think I'm ready to go back, the kids need me." I say in a somber tone. As much as I miss LA and everyone there, I'll miss Jem, Tessa and Esther so much, I'll have to visit a lot and maybe even come stay for a while when the baby is born

"That would make your relationship with Mark easier I'm sure." Cristina lightly says.

"The thing is Tina, I think I'm going to break up with Mark." I quietly say

"What?! Why?!" Cristina asks in a high, shocked tone.

"Well because we just aren't working out, I don't love him as a boyfriend, more like a brother, I'm not going to string him along, he deserves better, I just don't want to hurt him." I calmly explain. I'm not upset about needing to break up with Mark, I'll be happier single and being able to treat him like the brother I see him as.

"I understand, truthfully my own love life is quiet messed up too, Julian and I broke off the engagement." Cristina quietly says.

"What?! You did? Why?!" I ask in disbelief. I thought Jules and Cristina were happy together, I was happy for them, even though I love Jules myself, that's a relationship that can never be.

"Same reason you're going to break up with Mark, I just don't love him romantically and I know he doesn't love me like that either, it wasn't a messy breakup or anything, we're still friends, we just know we're better off as friends than husband and wife." Cristina says in lighthearted tone, with a shrug of her thin, tanned shoulders.

"Oh Tina, when did things become so messy? Maybe we should just get married and run off together, forget about men altogether." I jokingly say, putting my arm around her shoulders and resting my head on her shoulder. Cristina laughs and slips her arm around my waist.

"That would be nice, but alas I am straight." Cristina says in a light-hearted tone.

"Ugh that's so boring, being bi is way more interesting." I lightly say. I've known I'm bisexual since I was about 14, I don't talk about it much because it's not a big deal to me, I wouldn't talk a lot about being straight, why should I always have to disclose my sexuality? Most of my friends and family know because I wanted to tell them, but they don't make a big deal out it, they know it's just who I am, and I'm so grateful.

"I love you Emma." Cristina says in a soft tone. I truly don't think there's anyone I love more than Cristina, she's the sister I've always wanted.

"Love you too Cristina, you're my world."

 ***ALI'S P.O.V.***

The day is almost over and Eric should be home from work soon, currently I'm trying to get Maddey dressed for bed but she's insisting on waiting up for Eric and at 5 months pregnant, I don't really have the energy to argue with her. Right now she's curled up beside me watching her favorite show, Paw Patrol, it drives me nuts but it keeps her calm and happy, so I put up with it.

Just as I'm about to switch to the next episode for Maddey, there's a sharp knock at the door. Eric must have forgot his key, it wouldn't be the first time. When I get up to answer the door, Maddey jumps down to follow me.

"Eric I swear you would forget your head if it weren't screwed on!" I lightly say, opening the door, expecting to see Eric. I almost stumble back in shock at who I see in front of me.

"Hello Ali, pleased to see me?" Jordan asks.


	8. Chapter 8

*DISCALIMER*

I don't own any of The Shadowhunter Chronicles nor any of the characters within the series, all rights go to Cassandra Clare.

Chapter 8.

Jordan Kyle is at my front door, my abusive ex who tried to kill Sophie while I was carrying her, is right in front of me, inches away from my daughter. How did he know where to find me? I severed all ties with him and even started going by Eric's last name after Maddey was born, even though we aren't yet married. I need to get in touch with someone, somehow, hopefully Eric will be home any minute but Jordan is a lot stronger than him and could easily hurt him. Maybe there's a way I could get Maddey to phone Magnus and Alec, she know how to use my phone, would I be able to quietly tell her to use mama's phone to call her Uncle Magnus and ask him to come over straight away?

"Jordan... what are you doing here?" I quietly ask, still astonished that he's appeared. I haven't heard from him in almost 4 years, why has he turned up now, all of a sudden?

"So is this the child you had for Lightwood?" he asks in a sour tone,his gaze moving to Maddey, he's still clearly extremely bitter over my decision to be a surrogate for Magnus and Alec. If he thinks Maddey is Sophie he might try to hurt her, thank God Sophie is safe in her own home with Magnus and Alec.

"N-no, this is my daughter, my fiance and I's child." I say in a weak voice

"Fiance? Second engagement, third baby daddy hm? I shouldn't be surprised, you always were a slut, renting your body out to Lightwood like that," Jordan says in a venomous ago that would've really hurt me, but I know what he's saying is a load of crap, yes I'm engaged for the second time and yes Eric is the third man I've had a child with, but with Will I was a stupid teenager who thought myself in love with his father, until he dumped me, and I've never had a relationship like that with Alec, Sophie was conceived using mundane fertility treatment, which had recently been passed into law for Shadowhunters to use too, it was still fairly new to Shadowhunters when Sophie was conceived, she was one of the first Shadowhunters to be conceived using fertility treatment.

"What do you want Jordan?" I ask in a firm tone, refusing to show my fear anymore

"Well I had got to thinking recently, how do I know that child you gave to Lightwood wasn't mine?" He calmly asks. What?! He thinks Sophie is his? There's no way, not only does she look just like Alec, a few days before I went for the IUI to try and get pregnant, I had to take a pregnancy test to be sure I wasn't already pregnant, and obviously I wasn't. I can't help but laugh at Jordan's remark and sa

"Jordan there is no way that child is yours, she looks just like Alec and a few days before I got pregnant with her I had to take a test to make sure I wasn't pregnant already and I wasn't."

"I don't believe you for one second, It's exactly the kind of thing you would do, know how much I want a child, become pregnant and then make up a lie about surrogacy and give our child away, like you did your first one, in fact I'm surprised you kept this one." He harshly says, indicating Maddey, who is extremely confused about all this. The accusations he is coming up with are bizarre, I don't know where he's getting it from.

"That's fine, you can not believe me all you want but it won't change facts, the baby I had four years ago was Alec's, not yours." I say in a sharp tone.

"Again, I don't believe a word out of your mouth, I want a paternity test, no not want, I demand one, tell Lightwood this and be here with him and the child this time next week." Jordan says in a severe tone, before turning on his heel and stalking off into the night. What the hell just happened

"Mama?" Maddey quietly asks, looking up at me with brown eyes full of confusion. My poor baby must have been terrified during that encounter, god I wish I had put her to bed earlier, now. I go down to her level and embrace her, holding her tightly.

"Oh baby I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry you had to see that." I say in a tight voice.

"Mama who that man?" She curiously asks.

"Just someone I use to be friends with, he's not very nice so I stopped being his friend a few years before I had you, but he still wants to be my friend, even though he's a very mean person." I calmly explain to her.

"He stupid!" Maddey exclaims, pulling back from our hug and looking at me with a very serious face

"I know baby girl, I know, come on, let's go call Uncle Magnus and see if he can stay with us until daddy gets home." I softly say, brushing her hair back.

While I explain everything to Magnus over the phone, Maddey runs around me in circles, laughing herself silly at her antics, she's easily amused, and full of energy, she won't be going to sleep anytime soon. Magnus is more than happy to come over and stay with us until Eric gets home and will put up wards around the house to keep Jordan out.

Ten minutes later I almost have a heart attack when I hear a knock on the door, thinking it's Jordan again, but instantly relax when the door opens and Magnus walks in. The minute Maddey spots him, her face lights up with joy and she leaps from the couch, rushing toward him.

"Uncle Magnus!" Maddey shrieks, running to him with arms out stretched. Magnus smiles broadly at her and swings her up into his arms and kisses her cheek.

"Hello biscuit." He softly says, as Maddey tightly wraps her arms around him.

"Uncle Magnus miss you!" Maddey exclaims, clinging to him tightly.

"I missed you too sweetheart, why don't you up to your room for a bit so your mama and I can talk, then I'll come up and play with you, alright?" He softly asks. Maddey nods enthusiastically and bolts upstairs the minute Magnus sets her down

"Are you alright darling? Is the baby alright?" Magnus asks, taking a seat beside me on the sofa and hugging me tightly. I feel much better now that he's here, I wouldn't have been so afraid if I hadn't been pregnant and therefore able to defend Maddey, but I don't carry weapons when I'm pregnant and Eric doesn't own any, he just uses the ones at The Institute when he trains.

"Yes, we're both fine, I'm just a bit shook up." I weakly say, placing a hand on my chest where my heart is still racing.

"Well of course you are, your abusive ex just turned up out of nowhere. Does he really think Sophie is his?" Magnus asks in a disbelieving tone. I nod solemnly and say

"He really does, he wants a paternity test, not that he'd need one if he ever saw Sophie, she's Alec twin."

"That she is, how does he plan on getting the paternity test?" Magnus asks. I shrug my shoulders and sa

"He probably has his ways, he might be going through The Shadow Market." Magnus nods thoughtfully and says

"Yes he very well good be, I'll go there tomorrow night and ask around for any information about it, in the meantime maybe you should think of staying somewhere else for a while, so Jordan can't find you again." I thought about that myself, we could go to Idris, Jace would happily let us stay in Herondale Manor, but I would miss my family so much and so would Maddey and Eric too. We could perhaps stay with my parents, they'll always welcome me with open arms, and Maddey simply adores her nana and grandpa, especially dad, since Eric's dad left before he was born, so she only has one grandfather.

"I've thought about that too, but I need to talk to Eric about it." I say, wishing this were all just a bad dream.

"I understand Ali, if you do decide to stay somewhere else for a while, please know you're always welcome to stay with us." Magnus says in an affectionate tone. That's so kind of him to offer, I can't imagine how chaotic it would be with four adults-one of them being 5 months pregnant- and 4 kids, though Maddey would be delighted to spend time with Sophie, Will and Addie.

"Thank you Magnus, you're so good to me, you always have been, I don't know what I would do without you." I quietly say.

"You don't have to thank me, I care about you, and Maddey and Eric and your baby, I'll do anything to keep you safe, all of you." He firmly says, clasping my hand and gently squeezing it.

"Thank you Magus, I love you." I tell him. He hugs me tightly and says

"I love you too Ali and I will always protect you.

 ***MAIA'S P.O.V.***

It's only a few weeks till Christmas, and though Shadowhunters don't really celebrate Christmas, I convinced John that we should decorate the house, the twins would love it and it would be our first Christmas as a family, and the twins' first ever Christmas. They just turned 16 months old and now they're walking, they're getting into everything and anything, we've had to move all John's weapons to the spare room and keep it permanently locked, and whenever Magnus, Alec and Lily (and sometimes Cristina Rosales and Mark Blackthorn) come over for a Downworlder-Shadowhunter Alliance meeting, John has to either take the twins out of the house altogether or stay upstairs in our room with them. He doesn't mind though, he's such a wonderful father and so supportive of me, and he loves our babies more than anything in the world, they both have him wrapped around their little fingers, often times I'll wake up in the morning to find one or both twins asleep on top of John or curled in beside him, they don't cry anymore when we don't let them into our bed, but John just can't resist their cuteness and they know it and use it to their advantage, they're clever little things.

A few minutes ago I had left them in the living room on their own for two minutes, while John was right next door in the kitchen with the door open, and I darted upstairs to grab my phone, I was tempted to hide upstairs for a while and have some time to myself, but it's a good thing I decided not to, as Christopher is now pulling ornaments from The Christmas Tree in the corner of the living room. To be honest, I'm surprised it's not Piper, but she's probably up to more mischief elsewhere.

"Christopher." I say in a warning tone, almost cracking when my beautiful baby boy turns around and smiles broadly at me. It is so hard to stay mad at him, or Piper, they're just too cute. "Come here Christopher, you know you're not suppose to touch the tree." I firmly say, holding my arms out to him. He happily drops the bauble he's holding and runs to me. Well that was easy, almost too easy. "John." I call through to the kitchen "Is Piper with you

"No, why?" John asks, walking to doorway and leaning against the door frame

"I think she's up to some serious mischief, this little one was playing with the tree, but he stopped when I told him to, it was too easy." I explain, furrowing my brow in confusion as to where Piper could be. Without a word John stride over to the corner where the tree is and steps behind it, stepping out again a few seconds later, this time with a sleeping Piper in his arms. /

"Seems she wore herself out." John lightly says, as Piper begins to waken. I shake my head in disbelief, Piper is such a little trouble maker, God knows what she'll be like when she's older.

"How did you know she'd be there?" I ask, as John returns to my side and takes Christopher into his arms too. I just love seeing him hold both our babies, hes's a natural with them.

"Father's instinct, plus I saw her foot poking out." He says in an amused tone, kissing Piper's cheek as she cuddles further into him. "Can you take Chris for a minute, I can't keep my grip on them both!" John exclaims, as Chris squirms and wriggles in his arms trying to get down. As John passes him to me, Christopher decides it would be a great idea to grab a fistful of my hair and refuse to let go.

"Ah ow ow ow! Christopher Jonathon Graymark, you little rascal." I say in a playful tone, desperately trying to untangle my son's hand from my hair. Christopher giggles and snuggles into me, softly saying

"Mama."

Instantly my heart melts, I would let him pull my hair all day everyday if it made him happy. He and Piper are everything to me, I didn't think I'd ever say this but being a mother is the best thing I've ever done.

*TESSA'S P.O.V.*/

It's now the middle of February, and since I'm into the second trimester of my pregnancy I've been feeling lots of movement from the baby, no kicks yet but he's been turning and flipping and rolling and god knows what else, Esther wasn't this active, neither were Jamie and Lucie, so it's hard to get use to. I can't wait until the baby starts to kick and Esther and Jem can feel him kicking. Jem is a lot more layed back this time around about becoming a father, he's not as anxious as he was when we were expecting Esther, even though we weren't exactly expecting to have a such a small age gap between Esther and her brother, we thought it would take a long time to conceive again, we thought we'd even possibly have to undergo IVF, but little Henry is our miracle and we conceived very soon after we began try.

Jem and I decided to ask Alec to be Henry's Godfather and Emma to be his Godmother. Magnus is Esther's Godfather and Catarina is her Godmother, we asked Catarina a few months after Esther was born and she was delighted to be asked and instantly agreed./

"Mama! Mama look what I made for my brover!" Esther exclaims, running to me the moment she steps in the front door. Emma had taken her to LA to visit everyone for a few hours, and I missed my baby so much, even though she was only gone a few hours and I was hardly alone, I won't be anytime soon over the next 5 months, not that I mind of course.

When Esther runs up to me I see she has a tiny blue hand-knitted cardigan, which I know for a fact she did not make.

"Esther I know you didn't make this by yourself, who made it?" I gently ask, not wanting to upset her, she clearly was hoping I'd believe she had the skill to make this cardigan, and I don't doubt she will one day, but not even a half-shadowhunter, half-warlock child like Esther could do it at 2 years old.

Esther flushes and quietly says

"Diana, but but I helped her finish it mama!" Oh that is so sweet of Diana, to make this lovely little cardigan for Henry. She's been so good to Esther ever since she was born, she's agreed to train her when she's a bit older, which Jem and I really appreciate, and she's also happily come here to babysit Esther for us at times when we couldn't find someone to look after her. Jem and I will have to go to LA to personally thank her for this lovely gift. I'll call her this evening to thank her and let her know how grateful I am for this lovely gift, too.

"You did a great job baby girl, did you have fun in LA today?" I softly ask, pulling her onto my lap and taking her coat off her.

"Uh hu! Me and Ty-Ty go exploring on the beach, he really good at finding things, like starfish! And then Dru watched movies with me and Jules drawed with me and, and, and, Emma teach me all about her sword! Will I get to have it some day mama? I Carstairs too!" She hurriedly tells me. Well after such a busy day hopefully she'll sleep tonight.

"Well you certainly had a busy day, and yes I'm sure you will inherit Cortana one day, are you tired?" I ask, pulling her close to me and kissing her cheek, relishing in her being so small and cuddly, before I know it she'll be a teenager and never want to cuddle with me. Esther yawns and nods, burying her face in the crook of my neck.

"Love mama." Esther says in a breathy, sleepy tone.

"I love you too my sweet girl." I quietly say, kissing the top of her head and holding her close to me. This is something I will always relish, snuggling with my beautiful baby girl with Jem just next door and our son growing inside me, I dreamed of this moment for so long, but never thought it would come true, I couldn't be more grateful for my family.

Later that day, about an hour after Jem put Esther down for a nap, I hear a knock on the door and am surprised to see Magnus when I open the door. He didn't mention visiting anytime soon, not that I'm not happy to see him, of course.

"Magnus, what are you doing here?" I ask in a tone of confusion. Magnus grins broadly and says

"Why to take you to your baby shower my dear!"


	9. Chapter 9 AN

**Hello everyone, I just realized the last two chapters of this story were unreadable as I copy and pasted them from my tumblr drafts and they were full of code or something, anyway I've fixed them now, so please check out the new chapters and leave a review.**


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